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Pupil Premium

Research has shown that there are identifiable inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and looked after children (LAC) in relation to their peers within their academic and personal development.

In order to help address these inequalities the Government provide Pupil Premium funding, which is additional funding, to schools so that it can be used to support those disadvantaged and most vulnerable pupils who need it most.

The Pupil Premium is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to be eligible for FSM in both mainstream and non-mainstream settings and children who have been looked after continuously for more than six months.

The Government has decided that eligibility for the Pupil Premium has been extended to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. Nationally, as a group, children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in time have consistently lower educational attainment than those who have never been eligible for FSM.

To ensure that pupil premium has the desired impact upon pupil’s attainment and personal development we review, on a regular basis, best practice and guidance in order to help us identify the best and the most effective strategies available for our pupil/s.

Due to the complex nature of the pupils at Barrs Court School we recognise that outcomes may not always be directly related to attainment in English and Mathematics areas of the curriculum as within main stream school setting and they may not also be measurable via attainment.

For some of our pupils we identify that outcomes and therefore progress can be related to, for example, emotional literacy, behaviour support or physical development and may be far more relevant to the child at specific points in their education.

One key tool that helps us in our review of research and strategies is the Sutton Trust’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit, which summarises evidence from research into the impact of various strategies to address the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, with particular relevance to schools’ use of the Pupil Premium.

All schools are required to report on the amount of funding received, how it is being used and the impact it has had upon pupils attainment. The funding allocation for free school meals (Ever6) is managed by the Education Funding Agency and paid to the school on a quarterly basis.

The funding allocation for Looked After Children is managed by the Virtual School’s Head teacher in the local authority that looks after those children. The Virtual School Head (or their representative) will be involved in any decisions about how the child will benefit from any pupil premium funding through each child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP).

Please read the information below which gives details of our Pupil Premium Grant and how we allocate the funding.